During the fall, urgent care clinics traditionally gear up to handle to patients that present with seasonal flu and upper respiratory infections — including COVID-19. In May-June, we saw the beginning of a spike in COVID-19 test positivity that increased to just over 17% in August — higher than during last winter’s peak rate, according to the CDC. This trend has reversed and the COVID-19 testing positivity rate has gradually declined to just under eight percent. Nationally, influenza and RSV test positivity are low. Average urgent care visits per clinic per day are down from 32 during the last week of August to 26 in late September.
Last Updated 10/11/2024
Positive tests for the virus that causes COVID-19 reached 18% in August surpassing last winter’s December spike but test positivity is declining. The number of positive tests for flu and RSV are low. As we move into flu season, it’s important to consider testing for patient that present with respiratory complaints.
Source: CDC
Visits Per Clinic Per Day
After a steady increase from a low of 23 average visits per clinic per day in July to 28 visits in August, visit volume is trending down to nearly 26 visits per day.
Source: Experity Data
VISITS PER CLINIC PER DAY BY CATEGORY
Experity clinics experienced the highest visit volumes since March during the third quarter of 2024, in part due to rising confirmed COVID-19 visits, up from a low of nearly 0 throughout the first few months of summer. Over the last year, December 2023 had the most confirmed cases of flu and COVID-19. Clinics are currently seeing an average of 1 patient per day with confirmed COVID, and 9 visits per day with respiratory, ear, and COVID symptoms. So far this fall, we are not seeing flu in any significant numbers – and visits per clinic per day leveled off at 30 through September.
Source: Experity Data
National Visit Volume By Region
Experity clinics across the South are seeing declining visit volume since mid-August, while clinics in West and Midwest have stabilized. The Northeastern US has seen the biggest jump in visits to nearly 38 visits per clinic per day – nearly 19% higher than the national average
Source: Experity Data
Urgent Care Quarterly
Want more industry data? Check out the latest version of Urgent Care Quarterly where we review the state of the urgent care industry and provide the latest data on other metrics that matter to your practice.
Average Revenue Per Visit
Net revenue per visit (NRPV) at the end of 2023 averaged $132, an increase of two percent (reflects visits with a 0 balance only). As urgent care clinics return to traditional practices and encourage (and train) providers to avoid referring patients to the ER or specialists, and instead take advantage of tools like differential diagnosis to ensure they are including all complaints in their documentation, we will continue to see revenue per visit increase over time.
Source: Experity Data
Check out some of our top resources to help urgent cares manage and leverage fluctuating visit volume to secure continued business growth throughout the year.
